Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Founders Brewing Company, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Founders Imperial Stout

Leave a comment

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 75 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Brewed with ten varieties of malted barley, this Stout is smooth as silk, yet complex and rich in body. Serve this guy at cellar temperature. Put another log on the fire, sit back and enjoy the friendship of this ultimate winter warmer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 355ml bottle, bottled on 30th November 2016. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a nice one finger fluffy brown head that dissipated fairly quickly but left spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, cherry and a hint of coffee.
Taste: Roasty malts, rich bittersweet chocolate and coffee with hints of dark fruit balanced with some bitterness. Finish has a lasting ashy charcoal-ness.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, velvety and full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice and smooth. A good Russian Imperial Stout.

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Hoppy Sour: Mandarina

Leave a comment

Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour Blonde Ale aged in wine barrels & dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in November 2015. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a one and a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sour and tart orange and lemon with a hint of mango.
Taste: It’s what you’d expect from the aroma. Starts sour with tangy orange, lemon juice, unripe mango and peach. This is followed by hints of white wine and woody oak notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and some quite strong but nice acidity.
Overall: The citrusy fruits were expected from the Mandarina Bavaria, but I was pleasantly surprised by the unripe-ish mango sourness. Nice and refreshing from Almanac.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery, Stout - Imperial, Sweden

Omnipollo x Buxton Yellow Belly Sundae

Leave a comment

Brewery: Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery
Country: Sweden
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed by Buxton Brewery & Omnipollo at Buxton Brewery

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.48
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 20th June 2020. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a thin mocha head that dissipated quickly and left sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, peanut, biscuit and caramel. There’s a hint of vanilla possibly from the barrel, but I’m not getting much, if any bourbon.
Taste: Peanut butter, milk chocolate, biscuit, vanilla and bourbon sweetness. There is bitter dark chocolate and a slight boozy harshness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with light to moderate carbonation and a slight boozy harshness which falls away as it warms.
Overall: Even with no bourbon in the aroma, the aroma was still stunning. Taste was a harsher version of Yellow Belly with alcohol booziness coming through, although this harshness dropped away as it warmed. It was still nice, but it makes this version more of a sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Omnipollo, Stout - Imperial, Sweden

Omnipollo Noa Pecan Mud Cake

1 Comment

Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Imperial Stout brewed with natural flavours added. Brewed by Omnipollo at Brouwerij De Molen in the Netherlands

Brewer Description: (from website) When I was 12, I dreamed of becoming a pastry chef. Call this a creative outlet. Thick, rich and excessively decadent, this beer aims to bring back childhood memories. Brewed with aromas.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 7th July 2020. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black with a dark brown hue, a thin dark brown head that dissipates quickly and sparse lacing.
Aroma: An amazing pecan pie, chocolate, caramel, toffee and whisky aroma with hints of vanilla.
Taste: Sweet-ish chocolate, pecan, cocoa, toffee, vanilla and lightly bitter dark chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation and light alcohol warmth.
Overall: Superb aromas and nice taste, but for some reason the taste was a bit short and abrupt. I think in this case I definitely prefer Yellow Belly, but this was still interesting.

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Dogpatch Sour

Leave a comment

Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel. Ale brewed with cherries and aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This barrel-aged wild ale is named for the San Francisco neighborhood we call home. It’s our version of a Flanders-style Red with a distinctly California twist. Brewed with juicy California cherries and aged in used wine barrels with our house blend of San Francisco sourdough and wild brewer’s yeasts. Pair this complex ale with ripe figs and blue cheese or rich seafood bouillabaisse.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml bottle, Batch No.4, bottled in May 2015. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear copper amber colour with a one finger off white head that dissipated quickly while leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, hard candy, wine and barrel.
Taste: Tart, sour cherry, red wine, acidic, vinegar and oak.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: This was nice and refreshing with good tartness. Would be even better with even more cherries and perhaps slightly less acidity.